The temptation in life is to deal with things that make us comfortable. Sometimes for a time that is fine; however, in the end, it is healthiest to come back around to dealing with the rest which makes for a fully lived life experience.
February 26, 2004
We live on three levels as human beings-- physical, emotional and spiritual. Some would put the last two together but if you believe, as I do, that there is a spirit realm beyond this physical world, then there is a spiritual need in mankind which is separate from emotional needs.
Often through experiences, what we have been taught, one of the three will take the lead or even dominate completely, but I believe we are happiest when we have all three in balance, when we are at peace on all three levels. [Being a Libra, balance is especially important to me.]
Sometimes one or the other needs more work, say physical due to health problems, but in a life, it's ideal to have them ebb and flow together, working in conjunction to create a balanced and happy life (using the word happy because I can't think of a better one but realizing it's a difficult word to interpret).
As we work out relationships, they are on three levels also. There is our relationship to the spiritual realm where we decide what we believe-- if we believe. Even if we are atheists, we have had to come to a decision regarding what our own spirit is.
There is a cultural realm which can fall under the emotional end of those three. What do we owe to the community in which we have been placed? That would be government, family, friendships-- distant and close relationships with others. Here we decide if we have a responsibility to anyone else. Are we here in the flesh with a purpose or simply here?
Finally there is our personal life, the physical senses, food, sexuality, care of the body.
I think all three interact, swing back and forth, flow together, but when I ignore what I believe, what I think about any of the three, when I put all of my time into one aspect, deciding it's all that matters, something will arise in the others to remind me it cannot be ignored. My life is best when I take care of things as they arise and don't ignore any part of my nature.
(I went back through my computer to find a photo from 2004. Just one never says it all but this one, from Catalina State Park in Tucson, Arizona, comes close with rock, water, and life. It also reminds me I need to get in and have a permanent! I used to do them regularly but it's been well over a year since my last one.)
8 comments:
Life does have to be balanced although I think different people see their ideal balance differently. It is always easier to concentrate on those things we like or want to do while ignoring the others. It's probably a better idea to get those don't likes done first whatever they are.
I wonder if, perhaps, there aren't times in our lives when one aspect requires more emphasis than another for a period. Striving for the balance would be the ideal probably. Not sure we can have it all the time. Maybe, we wouldn't even want to. How else can we appreciate the balance when we achieve it? I'm a Libra, too.
I have kept a journal for about 15 years Rain.
Creativity is the oil that lubricates the satisfying flowing together of physical, emotional, and spiritual needs. I am having difficulty thinking of them as seperate levels as though one is higher than another. And I don't see the balance issue either because they all exist all the time in every motion, reaction or expression. The need is to get these three working together rather than shaffing each other. My difficulty is probably only one of interpretation of language here. I think we are talking about the same thing. but maybe you are saying that some people are mostly physical and Others are mostly spiritual. While still others are just emotional. And ideally evryone should have equal time for each of the three. But somehow I have trouble seeing this because all hree are always present in everyone from my point of view.
Yes, I believe that there are times where one thing or the other takes precedence. We are made up of all three. Perhaps I didn't make that clear enough.
I have known people who live in the physical only. It's all about making money, about exercising, about physical concerns and they block what they feel about anything. I have known people who are into the spiritual to a level where they feel they don't have to do anything for themselves, that god will take care of it all-- prayer, time in meditation is all they do and once again they don't think what they 'feel' at all. I have also known those who live only for their emotional needs. It's all about what makes them 'feel' a certain way emotionally.
If you are one who never has to think about making sure your life is in balance, that you are open to yourself on all three levels. I was writing about me as a woman who is not like that (me), who can get out of whack with over emphasis on one area or another. I am also a woman who is much in need of living in balance. That might not be so for everyone.
Remember what you read from the journal is what I wrote three years ago for myself. I shared it here as an example of how I think, but also of my journal. We are definitely all different.
If someone IS out of balance, things will go wrong and it's not hard to tell. The thing is though if you don't think why, if you just do more physically working out when your real issue is facing an emotional one, it won't work for you. Nothing wrong with going strong one way or the other for a time but what I was thinking is about the long run that in the end, you do not ignore, by not feeding it, one area or who you are. I have believed for many years that living in balance with yourself, with your whole nature, is best. If you are one who lives that way without thinking or working toward it, you are fortunate. :)
oh and parapluie, i do not see one area as being better. I see them all three as working together-- a trinity if you will. I think one thing that causes life to go 'out of balance' is when one area is considered superior. Some would disagree with me and say spiritual should be on top. Others might say the physical. This though was about my opinion and I gave it.
Rain,
Thanks for clearifying your opinion. Yes, I do know of examples where people live mostly in the physical, emotional or spiritual at the expense of other areas. I am wondering for myself if I spend too much time in the creative area. I can't say that it is mostly physical. I move around when I paint and it is physical. I can't say it is mostly emotional but I do express emotions and try to capture the emotion in my paintings. That is very important. I can't say tht it is mostly spiritual. But I do meet unexpectedly realms beyond the physical and emotional. It is like some other force paints my paintings as though they come from a pool of ideas. Could it be that when we are at our creative best that we are in balance? Are there any other ways to acheive this balance?
Since I have not solved this issue for myself, I don't have definitive answers but I think it comes from being aware of our inner self, of not avoiding the things that are tougher for us in favor of those that are easier. Like if we hate to exercise, it won't make our bodies more fit by sitting and praying for hours. I also think when we noticed we aren't happy, are depressed, feel something isn't right, it's time to do some internal probing to see what we might be ignoring.
Anyone with other ideas is welcome to bring them out here.
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